This invention relates to food products, more particularly to prefried, frozen seafood products and the like, with particular reference to frozen clam and shrimp products.
Prefried, frozen seafood products, such as shrimp and clam products, are becoming increasingly popular. In the case of prefried clam strips in particular, these are usually produced only from the foot or tongue of the clam (generally the surf clam) which is sliced into strip form, battered and breaded, prefried and then frozen. The body meat or salvage is generally not usable in such products. Due inter alia to catch limitations placed on the surf clam, there is a limited supply of tongues available for use in making prefried, frozen strips and the finished product tends therefore to be a restaurant "menu item" rather than a promotional "all you can eat" special.
It is a particular object of the invention to provide a novel form of prefried, frozen clam product and a method of making same, whereby clam strips can be made using a greater percentage of the meat available from the clam as a whole.
Another object of the invention is to provide a prefried, frozen clam product using comminuted (e.g., ground or chopped) clam meat.
A further object of the invention is to provide a prefried, frozen clam product and method of making same from comminuted clam meat, which product simulates in its eating characteristics the heretofore described sliced clam strips.
Still another object of the invention is to provide novel food products, particularly seafood and vegetable products, and methods of making same from comminuted primary ingredients.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a novel prefried, frozen food product and method of manufacturing same from a comminuted primary ingredient of animal or vegetable matter, whereby the finished product simulates in eating characteristics a similar product made from the same primary ingredient in strip form.